Beer: Ratings & Reviews

$6 pint on tap at Falling Rock. Dark reddish-orange, looks more like Red Rocket than Racer 5. It smells kind of grainy and not hoppy at all. The flavor is more grains and cereal malty type flavor, not really good at all. In fact this was a real disappointment to be honest.

Served a deep red/amber with a thin foam head. Huge bananna and clove aroma. It's yeasty. It reminds me of a homebrewed bavarian dunkel. But, Bear Republic calls it a Belgian brown. There's some malty/chocolate notes and a little bitter aftertaste. Thin mouthfeel. It's kind of an odd beer. It's refreshing, but one is enough. Yeast character is a little overwhelming.

A: Served a dark burnt amber color with a very dense, well retained, and long lasting vanilla colored head that faded into a thick foamy film leaving a sheet of streaky lacework down the glass.S: Light notes of bready Belgian yeast and mild citrus hops. Not especially potent. T: Tastes slightly old which is disappointing for being on tap at the brewery. Either that or this is very malt heavy for an ipa, Belgian yeast or not. Some herbal leafy hops come through, but caramel and bready malt dominate alongside peppery, earthy, Belgian yeast. Finish is sweet and very faintly bitter.M: Medium body, normal smooth carbonation, tight bubbles, slick, greasy, mouthfeel. O: Drinks well at least, good but disappointing. Definitely tastes old. Would not order again.

Poured a nice reddish brown color with a good creamy head that was whitish in color and held together nicely. Very hoppy smell initially but not near as hoppy in taste. Had a funny texture in the mouth and could definitely taste dried fruit but could not discern the type. A bit of a fight to get down.

Appearance: amber with reddish hues, minimal head with not some here and there lacing.

Smell: citrus hops and malt

Taste: mango, sweet malt, yeasty, citrus hops. Wasn't crazy about the flavor of the malt in this beer.

Mouthfeel: decent

Drinkability: I probably wouldn't get this beer again. Haven't been too enthralled with BR. I also agree with fellow BAs this isn't a Belgian strong ale. More of a double ipa or ipa with belgian style malts.

Crazy Ivan pours a couple shades lighter than amber, and is almost completely translucent. There's about a finger of bone colored foam topping the beer, and it leaves a little bit of lacing behind. I'm probably being a little bit generous with the appearance score because pours at RnH aren't always the best. Fruity and peppery Belgian yeast notes dominate, but there's a detectable citrusy American hop presence as well. The flavor takes those and adds a solid caramel base to everything. Still though, there's no real sense of balance as they yeasty flavors totally overwhelm the hops. The beer is very rich and full bodied, perhaps too much so because the carbonation seems a bit meek for an IPA (though this may be in part why the hop flavors seem subdued). Belgian IPAs are a tricky style to get right because of the delicate balance between yeast and hop influences, and I don't know if Crazy Ivan is out of balance, or maybe this keg was just old to the point that the hops have faded some, but regardless it was one of the least impressive Belgian IPAs I've had.

On tap at The Ginger Man in NYC on 1/17/09. Served in an Imperial pint glass.

A - Clear ruby red body with sparse carbonation and one-finger creamy eggshell-colored head that retained quite well and left thick, frothy lace around the glass.

S - Belgian yeast and spicy hops, but overall the aroma is pretty muted. There is a slight funk in the back that adds a bit of depth, but otherwise the nose is pretty mild. I was definitely expecting more for a Bear Republic brew.

T - Yeasty with a slight cheesy funk and spicy, peppery notes. An earthy, leafy and herbal hop character emerges in the middle and lasts throughout the finish, joined briefly by a hint of pine.

M - Very soft mouthfeel that turns out to be a little thin and watery overall. Carbonation is very minimal and borderline flat, actually. Dry and spicy on the palate with an earthy bitterness.

D - Overall, I was a little underwhelmed with this one. It could certainly use some more hops, especially since I have come to expect lots of hops with Bear Republic's brews. Not bad, but I'm certainly glad I got the opportunity to try this obcsure brew.

Reviewed on 06/21/2009. On draft. Pours brown with a small head. Aroma of yeast and melon rind. Flavor sweet malt, melon, yeast, some roasted notes. This is pretty much all-Belgian to me. Maybe a touch of hops in the finish, but only a touch as the Belgian yeast dominates. Sticky palate. I was disappointed by this one.

Pours hazy amber with a thick off-white head. Hoppy and sweet aroma with caramel and Belgian yeast. More hops in the taste. Grapefruit, mango, and resin mix well with the earthy malt. The yeast brings a sweet funkiness that makes this more than the typical Belgian IPA. Very nice.